


Magic and Love

by Boneless07



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, F/M, Love Confessions, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28723206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boneless07/pseuds/Boneless07
Summary: This is for a Secret Santa for our lord and savior <3Merry Christmas!I’m so glad I got to make you a gift, and I really hope you like this pair! This document has a single fanfiction (including magic!!) and multiple drawings to couple together (That I cannot show through here :<). I tried to be super duper creative for this, and I’m positive you’ll love it!The PlotTwo confused and magical teenagers get thrown into the world of Lighters… What can they do with their newfound gifts? What relationships will blossom?
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jim Lake Jr., Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Jim Lake Jr.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Magic and Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is for a Secret Santa for our lord and savior <3
> 
> Merry Christmas!  
> I’m so glad I got to make you a gift, and I really hope you like this pair! This document has a single fanfiction (including magic!!) and multiple drawings to couple together (That I cannot show through here :<). I tried to be super duper creative for this, and I’m positive you’ll love it!
> 
> The Plot  
> Two confused and magical teenagers get thrown into the world of Lighters… What can they do with their newfound gifts? What relationships will blossom?

“Now, you were all sent here for a reason. You have gifts, unlike the other human beings we walk upon each day.” Professeur Lavigne announces to the large group of newcomers. “You are called Lighters. You all each have a special gift, and a special Light that will be gifted to you when your time is ready.” Her hands wrap together in front of her chest, reaching out to the students in a way 

Jim stands, still shocked. How is he special? He’s an average student with average interests and average… everything. He shifts in his place in the crowd, his feet feeling awfully heavy. And luckily he’s yet to make eye contact with the Professeur. Don’t get him wrong, she seems like a nice lady, but this whole assembly feels intimidating-therefore, she feels intimidating. Her stance stood proud and poised, obviously having done this plenty of times before him. Her accent even had elegance in it, of course. It was French.

Just a few days ago he was a normal kid living in Arcadia. Now he’s a not-so-normal kid, living in Paris with nothing but a photo of his mom in his luggage and his friend Toby by his side. Toby’s parents were Lighters, so he naturally would have them already. Turns out his powers are blooming late, much to the disapproval of the school council, but they let him in regardless, knowing each kid has a chance for greatness. Or so they say.

“At this school, you will be taught to use your powers in the way attended, and no more. You will use your Light for good, not for personal gain.” The lady’s piercing green eyes finally find Jim’s, and his mouth is left agape, almost like he attempted to answer a question she hadn’t asked. “Is that understood?”

The crowd murmurs a bunch of muddled “Yes ma’ams”, and Professeur Lavigne takes a step back, letting the school gates finally open.

“A little dramatic, don’t you think?” Toby remarks, looking around at the school as everyone else hurries inside. “All that anticipation for some different kind of school work.” His words are muffled, his fingers in his mouth to fix his braces, yet Jim understood what he said. 

“It’s not just any school work. We’re.. We’ve got something different. Doesn’t that excite you, Tobes?” He says, his voice growing higher. Yes, he’s excited. All he’d ever known is Arcadia. Arcadia Oaks High; those boring teachers, difficult spanish class, even more difficult Algebra- “This is it. This is the sense of adventure I’ve been waiting for…” Jim’s eyes gaze at the school, the gates reflecting the golden light from the sun. He can’t wait to meet his Mentor, to find his light!

“Yeah! Doing magic has always been on my bucket list. But I can’t help being nervous--It’s making my stomach hurt. Plus my powers haven’t even kicked in yet. What if I don’t even have them? Like, at all?” Toby pouts, wiping his hand on his uniform jacket. 

“I believe in you, Toby, you can do this. And hey, I’ll be there with you every step of the way.” That makes Jim smile and take in a deep breath of air. And then release it as soft as a whistle. “This is a good opportunity for the both of us. Don’t you think?”

“I guess you’re right.” Toby says, shrugging. “We should go inside, shouldn’t we-” Just then, Jim realizes they were left behind. He adjusts his bag strap over his shoulder, but mid-word he stops speaking. His mouth is left agape, like a fish-again-when his eyes spot a lovely girl standing by the gate.   
Her eyes are wide yet thin, staring up at the large school with admiration shining from every inch of her being, her feet too scared to enter the gates just yet. Though she looks just as nervous as the two boys did prior, she seems different in a way that he just can’t pinpoint.. And soon Jim is the one being rushed, Toby’s hand waving in front of his face to distract him from whoever he was staring at.

“Earth to Jim.” He sighs, “You’re drooling.” He teases, making Jim roll his eyes and let out a slightly annoyed huff. The girl looks to their direction, her braids spinning due to the quick and sudden turn of her body. She hadn’t heard anyone behind her due to being stuck on her thoughts- and now that she realized there were others, possibly others that had watched her just now, her cheeks quickly became red and she walks at a fast pace to get inside the gates and away from the awkward mess that would’ve created.  
“Come on, let’s go.” Jim groans, ruffling the back of Toby’s head, his ginger hair going in each and every way but how it had sat neatly beforehand. Toby lets out a small grunt of satisfaction before following the two inside.

A year later

“She sent you that for a reason, you’ve got to take care of it.” Toby sneers, reaching down to fix his socks--a hard task for such a full-figured boy of his nature. “Maybe it was a dud, I mean you could always send it back.” Jim, ready to fight back with apathetic words and a roll to his eyes, gets cut off by a sudden, frigid gust of air. It was a.. Bone chilling cold, but fall wasn't another two months away... Jim pinpoints it quickly, while Toby was stuck reading the brunette’s face for danger.   
The wind left as quickly as it had come-leaving the two boys confused and hissing below their breath. “Toby.. I wasn’t the only one who felt that, right?” Jim questions, his bones feeling somewhat fragile from where his jacket had lifted and his clothes hadn’t covered. 

“Haha,” Toby’s laugh is forced as he scooches forward on the concrete. It’s far too early in the morning, and far too warm on the daily in Arcadia for a draft of that temperature, but it isn’t like him to think too hard about anomalies like this. “Felt what? I felt nothing, nothing weird, nothing out of the ordinary!” His voice raises awkwardly as he discredits his friend, earning a raised eyebrow from the other teenager.

“Ugh.” Jim’s voice is (worded) by Toby’s discrepancy. “Come on, Tobes, let's get to school.” He sighs and climbs down from the small ledge they’d been sitting on. Toby joins him a moment later, with much less grace than Jim. They walk through the canal, Toby telling a story through his loud voice and big hands, all while munching on a Nougat Nummy. Though Jim listens, his attention is snatched by someone joining their group a bit late. Marinette smiles over at the two boys, giving a small questioning 'hm' to why Jim looked so annoyed.

"My mother sent me a light." He sighs, but Marinette beams at this. Her excited face matching the bright colors of her antique, yet fashionable, clothes.

"And that's BAD?" Her eyes were wider, she tends to do that often when she's even just slightly excited. Jim can't help but smile at how she reacted, trying to push away a blush that tempted to climb up his cheeks.

"Yes-Because it doesn't work.." He sighs. Toby chuckled sadly, reaching a hand to pat his shoulder, but Mari looked at him skeptically. "I've tried the incantation written on it, but the amulet just won't glow for me." 

Mari took a moment before saying, "Can I see the amulet?" Jim didn't protest, pulling the silver and slightly rusty looking amulet from his pocket, dropping it into her hand with much less gentleness than when he had first found it. Her small hands hold it close to her face, her nose, and bright blue eyes reflect back at her. "It's pretty, that's for sure.. but are you sure you got the right incantation? Mine was in Chinese, so it was a bit easier than your Latin and such." She murmurs, not really trying to read it anyways. "I mean, you can always try to translate it and repeat it in English?"

Jim's face went blank for a moment. He hadn't thought about translating it... He then smiles before saying, "Mari, you're so smart-" He's too excited to get to finding the true incantation, he pulls out his phone to find a translator-but Marinette and Toby both stop him.

"Ah, we should probably stick to the good ol' books if we want this to be right." Toby grins, nods in agreeance with the wise words of Marinette, and continues to walk with them as the two speak about what it could say. And once they arrive to the school entrance, Toby leaves them abruptly, Jim's face whitening in mild panic.

He had completely forgotten; today was the day he promised himself-and Toby-that he was going to ask Marinette to accompany him to the Candlelight Christmas dance. And Toby HADN'T forgotten. His palms already felt hot, and his face too. Woo-boy, now he must be as red as a hot pepper. Marinette doesn't catch on, though instead she notices something is wrong.

"...Jim are you having an allergic reaction? What did you eat this morning-" 

"What? No!" He says quickly, trying to laugh it off. "I was wondering, M-Mari--Er, I mean, Marinette-" He thought it might've been best to address her in a formal way, but he's never been big on this formal stuff. Marinette quickly shuts up, her eyes squinting. She was sure this was going to be another plea to help them from yet another sticky situation. Perhaps it was detention this time, or maybe they broke an artifact again-Or maybe it was something entirely different. She could only wait and listen.

But nothing ever came except for the late bell. "Oh, shoot-" And quickly, only a few days later, the dance arrives. The days passed like summer break; the kids spending all their time together, trying to get their Lights to work, and advancing their skills to the best of their abilities. Jim still couldn't manage his Light, it was far more difficult than anything he'd ever done before, and he felt stupid compared to everyone else. His friends, Toby, Marinette, Adrien and the others.. They all had their lights-and they worked!

Yet here Jim is, standing at the gates of the school once again, the amulet in his hand, and faint lights in the distance as the sun begins to set over the old building. It shines, the amulet in his hand. A beautiful blue light, graceful in all ways but one. Performance. Jim can only glare at it, his palm beginning to sweat with the steel being in his hands for so long. He's distracted from his thinking when a shine of pink light explodes out of the corner of his eyes. And then blue, and red- the other, upperclassmen students arrived, and they put their Light to use on their outfits. 

This tradition was as old as time, as old as the school, and much older than Professeur Lavigne herself. He watches, a bit envious. He has to arrive in normal ball attire, and probably embarrass himself with Marinette. His old friend... the light of his life. And the girl he's going to ask to dance with tonight. 

He walks into the ballroom, ceilings and floors marble-the chandelier gold and diamond, sparkling with too many colors to count. His eyes get caught on another pink glow, but it's not exploding-but retracting. And then Marinette appears, a hand on Jim's shoulder. 

"Still no luck?" 

Jim's mouth would've dropped if he wasn't so focused on answering her question. "N-No. Oh, wow, you look awesome." Mari smiled shyly in response, looking up at him, and over to his hand, her smile fading softly away with the light of the sun. They’re cast under a shadow, the only light coming from both of their Lights.

Jim took a moment in their silence, looking to her hand to see her small amulet, which can be taken apart and separated into two separate pieces and turned into brooches, or earrings of her choosing. It’s so nifty.. And he quickly looks up to her to not get too absorbed in it. Truly, he wouldn’t be this frustrated over the amulet… but it became something he NEEDS to due; his mentors, Blinky and Arrghhh, tell him every day how important it is. He learned the incantation in english, yet it still wouldn’t budge.

Blinky says Jim just isn’t ready. But Jim feels he is. And it discourages him daily.

Marinette whips him out of his thoughts by taking his hand into hers. She put in an earring before so, putting the other one in with her free hand, before grabbing both his hands with hers. “Hey, come on, don’t think too hard about it. You’ve still got time, and tonight is supposed to be fun. Not stressful.” Her smile is contagious now, and it creeps onto Jim’s face just as quick as he lets go of the thought. 

“Thanks Mari. You’re.. The best.” And she leads him inside. The sound engulfing them as they enter the ballroom; old, classical sounding violins and pianos playing off to the side. Mari looks around, before just grabbing Jim’s hand, and leading him onto the circle of the dance, where a fun, skit dance is pursuing.

Jim certainly wasn’t expecting the sudden pull, and gets swept off of his feet and dragged in between a few dancing groups. Mari keeps a hand intertwined with his, holding it as she starts to dance; her feet doing small taps on the floor, and her head swaying to each side. He smiles, for once not nervously, and begins to dance along with her, awkwardly at first-but slowly getting it. 

What a beauty she is; dancing away like nothing else matters in the moment but her, the music, and him. He can almost see the music notes fly off the page, and circle around her like a school of fish in a musical he once saw. She was too good to be true, to be real. Then, the music slows, until it changes completely.

Marinette grabs both of his hands, feeling butterflies in her stomach everytime she did so. He makes her feel so nervous! But at the same time, so.. Her..! She felt so normal, so happy with him. Granted, they’ve only known each other for a year (almost two, but who’s counting)-it feels like they’ve been friends forever. And Jim can only feel the same, but they hadn’t come to that understanding yet…

He doesn’t know how to slow dance, but anything for Marinette.. She places her hands up on his shoulders, slowly linking them behind his neck after a moment of looking up at her. His hands stick themselves shyly on her waist, the hemming of her petticoat sharp and itchy, but he pays no mind. He only watches her.

“You’re a great dancer, Jim Lake Jr.” She giggles, looking away briefly just to take her eyes back to him. 

“Oh, barely. I’m just mimicking you,” He smirks a bit, “speaking of dancing.. Where did you learn all your moves? I’ll have to steal them for next year’s dance.”

“I was in a music video, back in middle school-They taught us these stupid, horrible dances. It was hilarious, but a lot of fun-” She shrugs her shoulders. “Sometimes you’ve got to just, hash it out. Mess around, mess a lot.” She says the last emphasized. She knows he’s got a bit of trouble letting go.

He understands why she said that, and he nods. “Thanks, Marinette; I’ll certainly try…. Even if it’s hard when I’ve got such a pretty girl watching me.” Marinette eyes him diffidently, her ears feeling awfully hot.

She tries to brush the comment off, but he does the same, and they both sit there in content silence between the two, dancing to the music in small sways and steps. 

“Hey, Mari?” 

“Hm?”

“I’ve got something I’ve been.. Really wanting to tell you. For a long time-” Though he was cut off by something cracking in the ceiling; one by one the band members stopped playing, and everyone let out a started yelp and scattered screams. Jim’s fight or flight reflex took on, and he chooses to fight. He looks to the ceiling, the chandelier cracking--What was that-

He realizes, seeing a small grey object stuck to a part of the chandelier. “Is that.. A shoe?” He mutters out in disbelief. Who would be dumb enough to throw a sho-his eyes immediately turn to a one-shoed Toby and his date, Darcy. “Of course it was Toby-” But the chandelier cracks,and a teardrop shaped diamond the size of Jim’s head falls from it, heading straight to Marinette. It was too quick for Marinette to transform, and Jim-without thinking-scoops her up and jumps away from the sharp diamond-a surprisingly bright flash of blue engulfing the two before they could clash with the floor..

It barely misses her, and almost hits Marinette. Some surprised voices scream out in relief when they avoid the wreck, Mari looking up to Jim with a baffled expression. 

“Jim.. your amulet.. A-armor, your armor-” He didn’t understand what she was stuttering about until he felt how hard the floor was against his torso-or more, the lack of pressure. 

“Wh-” 

“Jim, you did it!” The girl below him exclaims, much to the excitement of his ears. His brain keeps repeating ‘you saved her!’-before he helps her up and out of the danger zone. One by one the kids leave, the band included, to play out in the courtyard instead of the ballroom; Marinette, Jim, Toby and their other friends stay for a moment to congratulate Jim, but soon leave Marinette to thank him.

“Thank you, again. What you did… you didn’t even know your armor would, well, be there! You were so heroic-and I’m glad..” She trails off, not entirely knowing why she’s glad. Maybe she’s so glad because he was such a good friend.. But it didn’t feel right to say in the moment. Instead, she found herself wishing to say something else entirely.

He had risked his health, perhaps a broken leg, for her-being honest with him was the least she could do. 

And so, while the far echo of the music reaches the empty ballroom, she leans up on her toes to land a kiss on Jim’s cheek, but stops and waits. “I’m really happy that I’ve got you. In all ways, every way, any way… can I kiss you?” 

He’s shocked, at first, but soon the shocked expression turns soft, and he pulls her hands into his, pushing his lips to hers. “How did you beat me in this too? Seriously.. You’re the best…” He murmurs, before she giggles and just kisses him again.


End file.
